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Intuitive control of prostheses relies on training algorithms to correlate biological recordings to motor intent. The quality of the training dataset is critical to run-time performance, but it is difficult to label hand kinematics accurately after the hand has been amputated. We quantified the accuracy and precision of labeling hand kinematics for two different approaches: 1) assuming a participant is perfectly mimicking predetermined motions of a prosthesis (mimicked training), and 2) assuming a participant is perfectly mirroring their contralateral hand during identical bilateral movements (mirrored training). We compared these approaches in non-amputee individuals, using an infrared camera to track eight different joint angles of the hands in real-time. Aggregate data revealed that mimicked training does not account for biomechanical coupling or temporal changes in hand posture. Mirrored training was significantly more accurate and precise at labeling hand kinematics. However, when training a modified Kalman filter to estimate motor intent, the mimicked and mirrored training approaches were not significantly different. The results suggest that the mirrored training approach creates a more faithful but more complex dataset. Advanced algorithms, more capable of learning the complex mirrored training dataset, may yield better run-time prosthetic control.
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Improved Training Paradigms and Motor-decode Algorithms: Results from Intact Individuals and a Recent Transradial Amputee with Prior Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Working towards improved neuromyoelectric control of dexterous prosthetic hands, we explored how differences in training paradigms affect the subsequent online performance of two different motor-decode algorithms. Participants included two intact subjects and one participant who had undergone a recent transradial amputation after complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and multi-year disuse of the affected hand. During algorithm training sessions, participants actively mimicked hand movements appearing on a computer monitor. We varied both the duration of the hold-time (0.1 s or 5 s) at the end-point of each of six different digit and wrist movements, and the order in which the training movements were presented (random or sequential). We quantified the impact of these variations on two different motordecode algorithms, both having proportional, six-degree-offreedom (DOF) control: a modified Kalman filter (MKF) previously reported by this group, and a new approach - a convolutional neural network (CNN). Results showed that increasing the hold-time in the training set improved run-time performance. By contrast, presenting training movements in either random or sequential order had a variable and relatively modest effect on performance. The relative performance of the two decode algorithms varied according to the performance metric. This work represents the first-ever amputee use of a CNN for real-time, proportional six-DOF control of a prosthetic hand. Also novel was the testing of implanted high-channelcount devices for neuromyoelectric control shortly after amputation, following CRPS and long-term hand disuse. This work identifies key factors in the training of decode algorithms that improve their subsequent run-time performance.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1533649
- PAR ID:
- 10121188
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 40th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC)
- Volume:
- 0
- Issue:
- 0
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 3782 to 3787
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Myoelectric control of prostheses is a long-established technique, using surface electromyography (sEMG) to detect user intention and perform subsequent mechanical actions. Most machine learning models utilized in control systems are trained using isolated movements that do not reflect the natural movements occurring during daily activities. Moreover, movements are often affected by arm postures, the duration of activities, and personal habits. It is crucial to have a control system for multi-degree-of-freedom (DoF) prosthetic arms that is trained using sEMG data collected from activities of daily living (ADL) tasks. This work focuses on two major functional wrist movements: pronation-supination and dart-throwing movement (DTM), and introduces a new wrist control system that directly maps sEMG signals to the joint velocities of the multi-DoF wrist. Additionally, a specific training strategy (Quick training) is proposed that enables the controller to be applied to new subjects and handle situations where sensors may displace during daily living, muscles can become fatigued, or sensors can become contaminated (e.g., due to sweat). The prosthetic wrist controller is designed based on data from 24 participants and its performance is evaluated using the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Pearson Correlation. The results are found to depend on the characteristics of the tasks. For example, tasks with dart-throwing motion show smaller RSME values (Hammer: 6.68 deg/s and Cup: 7.92 deg/s) compared to tasks with pronation-supination (Bulb: 43.98 deg/s and Screw: 53.64 deg/s). The proposed control technique utilizing Quick training demonstrates a decrease in the average root mean square error (RMSE) value by 35% and an increase in the average Pearson correlation value by 40% across all four ADL tasks.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1109/EMBC.2018.8513342
